Decode
by Hikari-and-Yami
Summary: There was just something about Atem. I couldn't pinpoint it, but I knew he was different. I don't know how. I just did. And I wouldn't stop until I figured him out and unraveled all the secrets that made him so irresistable. Puzzleshipping
1. Chapter 1

Rated: T (for teen). May be raised in future chapters.

Main Pairings: Poemshipping (Yuugi Mutou x Miho Nosaka) Puzzleshipping (Yuugi Mutou x Atem)

Warnings: Violence, Sexual Themes, Language.

Disclaimer: All rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! belong to that guy with that name I can't spell. No profits are being made off this story. It is for entertainment purposes only.

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**_Decode_**

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It's hard to believe that after coming to this school for almost four years that still I cannot seem to learn where my classes are.

I guess it's understandable, given the fact that each year I have new classes in different rooms. But it is no where near acceptable. Part of me believes that students should be given more than three minutes in between classes to prepare for the next one, but that's just wishful thinking. Over the years, I have excelled in the art of multi-tasking. By this, I mean that I am able to get all my books from my locker, chat with my friends, as well as take a quick detour to the bathroom, all without running and all within the given time limit.

As the first bell rings on this normal Monday morning, I slip into my homeroom class, brushing the gold locks of my bangs out of my eyes. I grin at my best friend, who is leaning back in his seat besides mine, waving me over.

"Heya, Yuug'!"

It's the same greeting I get everyday. Familiar, consistent, predictable. Everything that I've always known. I smile at him as I slide into my seat, placing my books on my desk with a quiet thud.

"Hey," I say, turning to him. "How was last night?"

"Pttf." He huffs, his breath rustling the sandy blonde fringe that curtains right above his eyes. "Lame," he eventually tells me.

"So, I take it the date didn't go so well?"

He shrugs his shoulders, and that's the end of it. We move on to another topic, just as the remainder of students flood in.

For a while, we talk about the usual things; home, school, life. When he speaks, his accent is thick, but not annoyingly so. I notice that his eyes blink a lot when he talks, but they never stray from my face. Every so often, he waves his hand or makes a gesture to emphasize a point, but besides from that, he remains at ease, the muscles in his face loose and relaxed.

He's always been like that.

Since the first day I met him my freshmen year, he was always just so down-to-earth, never fretting over small things, intent on living life at an even-tempered pace. I can't help but envy him for that.

The teacher walks in just as Jou finishes one of his stories, and then we're silent as the elderly man in front begins his lecture.

Everyday it's the same thing. Wake up, get ready, go to school, talk to my friends, come home, shower, eat, dinner, and bed.

And then the process repeats itself, like a never-ending cycle.

.~.

Miho Nosaka is beautiful.

She has the prettiest shade of violet hair; a purple that rivals that of butterfly wings. Her eyes are wide, an aligned square shape with a delicate hazel touch, as if someone took a paintbrush, dipped it in three different light colors, and circled her eyes with the very tip. Her skin is ivory white and as fine as china. She is absolutely breathtaking, with a quick and agile mind to match.

It is understandable then why I cannot seem to comprehend that she has been my girlfriend for almost three months.

.~.

When the final bell rings, we all duck out of the room, so fast you'd think someone set a fire to our heels. Even the teacher, who gets paid to stay here, looks anxious to leave. There's just something about being confined into a small classroom for more than an hour that gets to people.

As most of the students prepare to take their leave, slipping on their coats and zipping up their backpacks, I stand at my locker, playing with the lock. My memory seems to have this thing against numbers, meaning it refuses to let me remember them. This doesn't pose that much of a problem. Unless, of course, I'm trying to take money out of the ATM and can't remember my pin. Or, let's say, trying to open my locker with the combination I so conveniently forgot.

I finally give up and take my bag off my back. I open it enough for my hand to slide through, and then blindly search for my agenda book with the tips of my fingers. It takes me a moment, but I manage to find it and pull it out, placing my bag down on the ground for the time being.

My combination code is in between the last page and back cover, written in handwriting that could hardly be considered legible. I tilt both my head and my agenda book to the side. It is futile attempt to trick my mind into believing that it could read the scribbles at another angle.

This would be the reason as to why I scarcely ever stop at my locker. It's sad considering that school has been in session for two months already.

I am about ready to surrender when someone's hand shoots out, turns the knob on the lock a few times, and pulls it open.

I glance up at my savior with a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Jou."

My best friend looks down on me with his signature grin. "Still can't get it, huh?"

"No," I say as I switch books from my bag to my locker. "Short-term memory loss, I guess."

Jou laughs, and the moment I close my locker, I join him.

"So, I was thinkin'—"

"Are pigs flying already?"

I look over to see Honda, a close friend of ours, leaning up against the window beside the row of lockers. He looks out the window and pretends to be looking for something; flying pigs evidently.

Jou strays from my side for a moment and lifts his arm to slap Honda upside the head. Then he looks back at me. "Like I was sayin' before I was rudely interrupted—" A sharp shift of his eyes to Honda, who shrugs in response, "I was thinkin' that we should plan a trip. You know, for like spring break or somethin'. We _are_ seniors."

I nod, flipping through my agenda book to make sure I have everything that I need. "That sounds like fun."

"What does?"

I turn around at the feather-soft voice and smile at Miho. Her hair is swept up in a ponytail today and a pretty yellow bow sits atop her head, one that greatly contrasts the purple in her hair, but still she remains simply breathtaking.

"Jou was just talking about spring break."

"Oh?" she says, eyes lighting up with genuine interest. She unconsciously straightens out the collar of my shirt, then turns to Jou. "What were you thinking of?"

Jou puts his hands in his pocket and shrugs. "I don't know yet," he mumbles as we begin walking. We all head out the side door of the building, a cool burst of air running up to meet us the second we're outside. The sky is dark with clouds, the sun buried deep within its confines. A bitter frost nips at my ears and nose, and I can already feel my cheeks flushing with a subtle pink glow.

I watch as Honda wraps his arms across his chest and rubs his biceps with the palms of his hands. "God, why is it so _cold_?"

I smile and purse my lips, blowing a small breath out. A transparent burst of white curls appear in front of my face and then disappear within a few seconds. "It's November, Honda. Of course it's going to be cold."

"Yeah, but not _this_ cold."

I have to agree with him. It's colder than normal, but at least it's not raining. Or snowing for that matter.

We make our way to the parking lot, walking in a horizontal line, with me at the far right. I glance at Miho to make sure that she's okay. I know how much she hates the cold, her preference in seasons shifting more towards spring and summer. That's one of the things we _don't_ have in common, considering the fact that I, myself, have a secret love for winter and all its beautiful wonders.

Other students flow around us in disorganized bunches, jumping into their cars and pressing their hands up against the heating vents, which to their dismay, only lets out cool air until the car gets a chance to heat up.

I lean a little bit further so that I can glance at Jou and Honda, who are both huddled in their coats. I give them a small smile, and then look back in the direction of our cars.

That's when I first see him.

He's walking towards the school with two people on his left, though they were the least of my concerns. The first color I notice is black. He has long, sooty lashes, the darkest shade of ebony, volumed to absolute perfection, and the glistening midnight tresses of his wild mane shine like diamonds, each strand individually highlighted by a sun that isn't there. The second color that catches my eye is bright red. His eyes are two glorious pools of sparkling crimson, a combination of a thousand ruby gems. Cerise frays tint the ends of his hair, swaying in small waves, saying hello or maybe goodbye. Then gold, in jagged forms, like lightening bolts run up his hair and fall over his forehead, brushing across his pale cheeks in the softest of breezes.

Red. Black. Gold.

The perfect rainbow, inversed.

I'm too captivated by the brilliant colors to notice that his eyes have shifted to mine. I stare back into them, and something in them glistens. A sudden heat touches my center; a warmth so resounding, I stop breathing for a moment. As we pass each other, our eyes stay connected until the very last second, where it would be necessary to turn our heads, something that may have been a little too noticeable.

"Huh. I wonder who they were," Miho mutters quietly, once they're far enough away.

"New students?" Honda suggests.

I am just barely listening to my friends as I turn my head to look back at the three, as they enter the building. I catch a glimpse of the stunning youth just as the door closes behind him and then I glance down at the ground in front of me, feeling the tiniest spark of curiosity in the back of my mind at who it was I just saw. But then I look back up at my friends, and just like that, it's gone. Time suddenly starts again and my mind shifts back to the present.

I walk my friends to their respective cars, and then lead Miho to hers; a gray Chevy with two purple fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror. I murmur the same thing I always do, telling her that I'd see her tomorrow and to call me if she needed anything. She nods, and then leans forward as I place a kiss on her cheek.

Like a gentleman, I open her door and wait until she gets in to close it. Then I get in my car next to hers and head home, just like I do, every single day.

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	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! I missed you all so much too! I'm more than happy to be back! Enjoy! (:

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**_Decode_**

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Miho and I had been friends long before we started dating. I guess everyone knew that it would happen eventually. After all, we hung out together almost everyday. She was like part of the group and, over time, our friendship grew into something a little more. I treated her like a gentleman and, in return, she offered me her companionship. Neither of us thought it would be forever. And though for a girlfriend she was more than I could ever ask for, we weren't in love, and we probably never would be. But in the end of the day, we did enjoy being together and, for now, that was enough for both of us.

"Miho," I say, glancing over her statistics homework. "You forgot to do a graph for the first one."

"Really?" She peeks over my shoulder, surprised. "Oh, wow, I did."

"It's okay," I tell her, handing her back her notebook so that she can fix it.

"I'm glad you caught that, Yuugi," she says with a pretty smile. "Mrs. Kioski would have taken like ten points off. Ugh, she's so strict."

"I know. I had her in freshman year, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." She laughs. "So I guess you know my pain."

I grin at her in reply and then glance at the clock when the bell rings. "Are you ready for the History test today?"

"Yup," she says, all excited. "I studied all night."

"I hope Jou and Honda did, too," I sigh. "I don't think either of them can afford to fail another one."

"If you call playing War Zone for five hours straight studying, then I'm sure they did," she jokes, as she slides her pencil against the lined paper of her notebook.

"I really hope they didn't pull that one again," I mutter. "And no, practicing their shooting techniques does not constitute as studying."

A soft giggle floats to my ears. "Oh well." She finishes her graph and then passes it back to me, waiting for my nod to confirm that what she did was correct. When I give it to her, she smiles and kisses me on the cheek. "Thank you again for helping me."

"You're welcome," I tell her. "Anyways, I was thinking that this weekend, we should – " I stop when the teacher walks in and turn to give Miho an exasperated glance. "I guess I gotta go back to my seat now. I'll just tell you later." I give her a quick kiss and then stand to my feet. "Walk you to your next class?" I ask, like I do everyday.

"Of course," she says.

I'm already at my seat by the time she replies though, and when I take out my books and wait for the teacher to begin, I can't help but think what life would be like if things were different from how they are now.

.~.

It's 10:59 A.M.

I have one minute to get to class. I would have been there already if I hadn't spent the last three minutes trying to remember my lock combination. I'm too stubborn to surrender just yet, however, and I continue to rack my brain for the set of three numbers I need to satisfy my ego and regain whatever amount of dignity I had lost in the past few minutes. I am just about to give up and go searching for my agenda book when my locker finally opens. A smile pulls at my lips when I find the book I need, and I cradle it in my arm for the time being. I am just about to close my locker when I see a flash of gold to my left. Out of instinct, I look out of the corner of my eyes.

Then, out of sheer curiosity, I stop what I'm doing.

Until now, I hadn't noticed that the halls were empty. I also hadn't realized that the only other person in the hall besides me was the ruby-eyed male I had saw coming into the school building yesterday.

At this moment, we're on opposite sides of the hall, diagonal from each other. His locker is open, and he's leaning forward to pull out a book. For a second, I think that he hasn't noticed my obvious presence. Part of me doesn't even want to close my locker. For some reason, I don't want to draw his attention, so instead I just keep still. I silently observe him as he makes a move to close his locker, and I prepare myself to do the same. But then he pauses, lifts his head, and looks over at me. I catch his eyes and, for an instant, we just study each other. Then he smirks at me, and I look away.

I keep my eyes glued to the books in my locker, while my face heats up with embarrassment at being caught. I manage a quiet sigh when I hear his locker close, and I don't move until his footsteps disappear down the hall. I glance over my shoulder, just to make sure he's really gone.

Then I pick up my book-bag, close my own locker, and walk to class.

.~.

At Lunch, I sit down next to Miho as always, smiling at her the entire time. Jou and Honda join us a few minutes later, and suddenly we're all wrapped up in a conversation about nothing in particular. Miho talks about her exam, which she's pretty sure she passed with flying colors. Honda talks about his English teacher, who he swears is an evil alien from Venus, hell-bent on ruining his life. And then Jou opens his mouth, and I'm thinking he's about to go on about how bad the café food is, like he does everyday. But then he catches me by surprise.

"Hey, listen to this." Jou leans towards the middle of the table, and by the way he glances over both of his shoulders, I almost expect him to tell us that he's planning a bank heist and wants to know if any of us are interested in joining him. "I heard that there's somethin' weird goin' on wit' the new kids."

I look up curiously at his whispered statement. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he says, shifting in his seat, "apparently none of them talk. Like at all. Even in classes when the teachers were introducin' them, they didn't say one word. They just sit in they're seats and, y'know, keep to themselves…creepily."

"I wouldn't call that weird, Jou," I say quietly. I lift one shoulder in a kind of half-shrug. "They're probably just shy or nervous. It is their first day."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Miho shake her head in disagreement. "I don't know," she says. "I have one of them in my class…Anzu, I think her name was. The whole time she had this look on her face, like she just didn't want to be bothered with anyone. A few guys tried to talk to her, but she just ignored them. It's like she has a permanent scowl on her face or something."

"Anzu?" Honda perks up. "Is that the brunette?" At Miho's nod, he sighs dreamily. "Man, she's hot."

"Hey, cool it, man." Jou scans the cafeteria, then looks back at Honda. "I think she's dating that Atem guy."

"Atem?" I glance across the table at Jou. "Which one is that?"

"The one wit' hair like yours."

"Oh."

"Isn't there one more?" Miho asks all of us.

"Yeah, I can't remember his name though," Honda answers. "It begins with an O… I think."

"Otogi," Jou chews out between bites of his sandwich. "He's in my Chem class."

"Shh," Miho says suddenly. "They're coming."

I turn to Miho, whose eyes are on her plate, and then look up. All three of them are walking in our direction, towards an empty table in the corner of the room. For a second, I wonder if they realize that the whole cafeteria is staring at them. Then again, by the looks on their faces, it doesn't seem like they even care.

Yesterday, since my attention had been mainly focused on Atem alone, I hadn't gotten a good look at the other two. Now that I am, I realize with a small flare of both admiration and jealousy that all three of them are absolutely stunning.

The brunette girl, Anzu, is tall, with mystic blue eyes and snow white skin. She walks stiffly in front of the other two, her face tight and guarded. I hear Honda whisper something to Jou about her and notice her grip tighten on her book bag strap when she passes our table but, besides from that, she makes no other gesture to show that she has even acknowledged any of our existences.

The one following behind her I can only guess is Otogi. I am caught off-guard by the striking shade of green coloring his irises. They stand out even more against the long curls of ebony hair he has wrapped up into a single ponytail on top of his head. His pale index finger is twirled around one strand to the side of his forehead that has escaped the hair tie, and he absentmindedly plays with it as he walks, poise and regal to the point that he might as well have been walking on air.

My attention then shifts to Atem, who tags along at the end, hands in his pockets and eyes shimmering with a confident gleam, though his facial expression shows nothing but boredom. I try not to stare at him but, like the rest of the café, I am stuck in a kind of awe. It is only when he passes our table and glances my way that I am able to force myself to look elsewhere.

The contrast of color in each of their eyes is remarkably breath-taking. I imagine the lights in the café turning off and think for a moment what someone would see if they were to look their way. I wonder if their eyes glowed in the dark, if maybe all you'd be able to see were three floating pairs of aquamarine, emerald, and crimson.

Above the quiet murmurs circulating around the room, I can hear them drag their chairs out across the floor and sit down.

"I don't care what you say, Yuug'," Jou chimes in, bringing me from my musings. I watch him as he takes a bite of his sandwich and then points to their table with it. "They're weird."

Very discretely, I look over my shoulder at them, just as they all begin to take out a few miscellaneous snacks from their book bags. Then I turn back to my table. "Perhaps," I sigh under my breath. My shoulders begin to cramp so I roll them in a loose shrug and, for the moment, forget about the new kids. I just turn my attention back to Miho, smile, and continue to talk about my day.

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Review please and thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

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**_Decode_**

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"So."

I glance up at Jou. "So what?"

Once again, I think Jou's planning an armed robbery of sorts by the way his eyes scan the hallway, before he looks back at me. I'm reassured by the small smile he has on his face, however, and I pause in my movements when he casually leans against the locker beside mine, arms and ankles crossed.

"So, how are things wit' you and Miho?"

"They're good." I raise an eyebrow. "Why?"

He shrugs and shakes his head loosely. "No reason. Just makin' sure everythin's still good," he says, shifting his weight. "You know, if you ever need to talk 'bout any problems, you can talk to me, right? "

I smile a bit, knowing how uneasy it makes Jou to talk about 'feelings', but grateful that he's offering to anyways. "Well, thank you, Jou," I say, continuing the process of switching my books from my bag to my locker. "I appreciate it."

What I don't appreciate is the way my hair tangles when Jou ruffles it. "No problem, buddy," he says, snickering at the glare I direct his way as I comb my hair back with my fingers.

"I hate when you do that," I mutter, closing my locker.

"Why do you think I do it?"

I punch his arm in good fun and then proceed to roll my eyes at his whiny protests. "You know, all the food's gonna be gone by the time you quit complaining."

He stops rubbing his 'sore' bicep and nods. "You gotta point there, Yuug'."

It's amazing how fast Jou can walk when threatened with the possibility of no food, but I keep up with him, turning down the hall and into the crowded cafe right behind him. I go up to the lunch line with him, and he passes me a tray as we begin our way down the food stations. We take what we want off the shelves and display counters, and I feel a small laugh bubble from under my lips when Jou begins to argue with one of lunch staff about how many heapings of mashed potatoes he can squish into one bowl - a daily occurence, really.

I decide to allow Jou his moment and make my way to the drink isle, knowing he'll catch up when he's done pissing off the staff. I squeeze by a pair of gossiping girls and place my tray down in front of me as I look around for what I want. There's a row of fountain drinks to my right and, beside that, there's a line of milk cartons. There's only one water bottle, however, and I immediately reach out for it, knowing it'll be gone and on somebody else's tray if I hesitate for even a second.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't notice another person reach out for it at the exact same time until it was too late. I feel the apology on my tongue the moment our hands touched, but when I look up at the person to my left and into his lava eyes, it disappears and suddenly I can't find any words. I try to open my mouth, but I don't know what to say and, even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to anyways. So we just stare at each other and, with each second that passes, I'm finding it harder and harder to think of anything coherent.

But then someone bumps into to me and throws me out of my daze. And him too apparently, cause he grabs the water bottle and sets it on my tray. Then he continues on his way and leaves me behind to figure out what the hell just happened.

Still startled by the whole situation, I stand there until Jou reaches me, successful in his mission once again to make poor Mr. Herald want to quit and retire on a beach somewhere far, far away from here and him. We both go to pay and, when we get to the table, I stare down at my plate, only absent-mindedly noticing that Honda and Miho had not arrived yet.

"You okay?" Jou asks me once he gets comfortable.

"Huh?" I look up at him and, after my brain takes a few moments to decipher what he said, I smile. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Anyways, what were we talking about?"

.~.

During one of my study periods that day, I find myself in the library. I am lost somewhere between the 'O' and 'P' sections, with no clue of how I wound up there in the first place – especially since I had originally been looking for the 'K' section.

I curse my parents for bestowing upon me this gift of having no sense of direction whatsoever. It's almost as annoying as my inability to remember anything important.

"Can I help you?" someone says behind me.

I look over my shoulder and smile sheepishly at the library aid. With her help, I manage to locate the book I need for my research paper, and I peek my head out into the center of the library to look for an empty table to sit at to wait out the last five minutes of the period.

However, what I find is eight full tables, leaving only one table left that is currently occupied by a lone student. I recognize him immediately and, after a moment's thought, I approach him.

"Hey," I say to him once I get to the table.

At first I don't get a response at all and, in that instant, I suddenly understand why the remaining students in the library have opted to settle down in the corner of the room or lean against the walls instead of sit in the remaining three chairs that surround Atem.

Almost as if he's just heard my greeting, Atem glances up at me with those tempting eyes of his, smirks a little, and then looks back down at his homework.

It's then that I start to feel the first touches of awkwardness begin to set in. "So," I say a little quieter this time. "I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for earlier."

This time, Atem doesn't even look at me. Part of me tells me that now would be an excellent time to walk away. However, I can't help but be intrigued by his odd behavior. Instead of making me want to run in the opposite direction as it appears to be doing to the rest of the student body, it makes me want to know more about him. After all, I've never been able to control my bubbling curiosity in the past. Why start now?

With a little hesitation, I put my books on the table and sit down across from him. This makes him look up at me again through his bangs. For a moment, he looks surprised. But then one corner of his lips pulls, and he stops what he's doing. Slowly, he puts down his pen and leans back in his chair. He watches me for a few moments, and I shift in my seat, uncomfortable at his unwavering stare. "So, I guess it's true then," I say, loud enough for him to hear me. "You don't talk."

In the silence of the library, he chuckles a bit and I admit that I am completely caught of guard. "That all depends," he says, surprising me again, but this time, it's by how deep his voice is.

I give him a curious look. "On?" I push.

He shrugs his shoulders, his gaze never leaving my face. "If there's someone worth talking to."

Since he's talking to me right now, I take that as a compliment. "Thank you."

A sparkle of amusement lights up his eyes, making them brighter and a little less defensive. "Yuugi, right?" he says.

I blink a few times in surprise. "How do you – ?"

"Educated guess," he says, but the smirk on his face tells me otherwise.

"Mhm." I tilt my head, and his eyes follow my movements. "So," I say, changing the subject. "What brings you to Domino High?"

This is my pathetic excuse at trying to make conversation. And he knows this, too. "I just needed to transfer, I suppose," he replies, uninterested. "My previous school was rather dull."

"What school?" I ask him.

"It was a small private school. You wouldn't know it."

"Well, where was it?"

The smirk playing on his lips widens. "You ask a lot of questions. I assure you that I am not all that remarkable." He leans forward and sits both of his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers and brining his chin to rest on top of them. "Besides, I am much more interested in you, Yuugi."

"Me?"

He laughs at the surprise in my voice. "Yes," he says slowly. "You."

"Oh." I scratch the back of my head. "Uh, well, what do you want to know?"

He lifts his shoulders. "Surprise me."

I don't like how quickly he turned the tables on me. I was supposed be learning more about him, not the other way around. "I like…" And now I am at a complete loss of words. Again. "I like meeting new people."

"I don't."

"Uh, I like to read."

"I'm not much of a reader myself."

"I…" I drum my fingers against the table, and his eyes regard me carefully. "I have a horrible memory," I finish lamely.

"Do you now?"

"Yeah." I nod. "I'm sorry," I blurt out right after, dragging my fingers through my bangs and back into my hair. "I know I'm kind of boring."

"I don't think so." Atem sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. "On the contrary, I actually think you're very interesting."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh…thanks?"

He chuckles again. "You're quite welcome."

Just as the last syllable leaves his lips, the bell rings. I look up at the clock just to double check, then back at him. "Well, I have to go," I say as I gather my books. "See you around?" I ask with a small smile.

He nods his head. "Thank you for the company, Yuugi," he says as I stand up. "I enjoyed it. Maybe next time we'll have more time to talk."

"Maybe," I reply back. I pick up my bag and leave him where he sits without another word, but even as I'm walking towards the library doors, I can feel him watching me. I am tempted to turn around and catch him in the act. But I don't, because if anything, it would make me feel more awkward, not him.

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